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Poker Terms

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Call
The action of matching the current bet in order to continue participating in the hand. A call indicates that a player is willing to stay in the game without raising the bet.
Calling station
A player who frequently calls bets but seldom raises, often regardless of their hand strength.
Call the clock
A request made by a player to the dealer or tournament director to impose a time limit on another player’s decision-making process, typically when a player is taking an unusually long time to act.
Card protector
An object placed on top of a player’s hole cards to prevent them from being accidentally exposed or mucked by the dealer, often a small weighty item or a lucky charm.
Cards
The playing cards used in poker games, typically a standard deck of 52 cards consisting of four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, each containing thirteen ranks.
Cap
The limit on the number of raises in a round of betting, usually in limit games.
Capped range
In poker, a capped range refers to a range of hands that a player is perceived to have based on their actions and betting patterns, but which does not include their strongest hands. A capped range suggests that the player is unlikely to hold very strong hands, such as premium pairs or strong suited connectors, because they would typically raise with those hands instead of just calling or checking.
Case card
The last card of a particular rank in the deck.
Cash game
A poker game that is played for real money on a per-hand basis as opposed to a tournament.
Cashing
Converting poker chips into cash, typically done at the conclusion of a poker session or tournament. In tournament poker, cashing refers to reaching a paid position, often in the top percentage of finishers.
Catch
To receive a needed card or favorable situation, often improving a hand significantly.
Catch up
To improve a hand significantly, typically by receiving needed cards on subsequent streets, often resulting in surpassing or outdrawing opponents.
C-Bet frequency
The percentage of times a player follows up their pre-flop raise with a bet on the flop, suggesting how often they continue their aggression after the initial round.
Chase
The act of continuing to bet on or call bets with a drawing hand, hoping to improve to a winning hand, often against the odds. This term is typically used when a player is pursuing a specific hand completion, like a straight or flush, despite unfavorable pot odds.
Check
To pass the action to the next player without betting.
Check-raise
A strategic move where a player first checks, then raises after an opponent bets. This tactic is used to lure opponents into committing chips to the pot under the assumption that the check-raiser has a weak hand.
Chip
A small, round token used as currency in poker games, representing a specified value of money.
Chip dumping
The illegal act of intentionally losing chips to another player, often to facilitate collusion or money laundering.
Chip leader
The player with the largest stack of chips in a poker tournament or cash game.
Chop
To split the pot between two or more players rather than awarding it all to a single player.
Clairvoyant
In the context of GTO (game theory optimal) solvers in poker, clairvoyant refers to the ability of these tools to perfectly predict opponents’ strategies and tendencies, allowing for an optimized response based on comprehensive game theory analysis.
Click back
A quick and often small raise made with the click of a button in online poker, typically indicating a strong hand or a desire to take control of the betting.
Coin flip
A situation where two players are all-in and have about an equal chance of winning.
Cold call
To call a bet and a raise without having already invested money in the pot in a particular round.
Cold deck
A term implying that a game is unfair or rigged.
Cold 4-bet
A re-raise that is made after there has already been a bet, a raise, and a 3-bet in the betting sequence. A cold 4-bet is typically made by a player who has not yet participated in the betting round.
Collusion
Cheating that involves two or more players secretly working together.
Combinatorics
In poker, combinatorics refers to the study of the number of ways different combinations of hole cards can interact with the community cards on the board. It helps players deduce the probabilities of opponents holding certain hands based on the cards that are visible.
Combos
Short for combinations, referring to the different ways a particular hand can be made with a standard deck of cards.
Combo draw
A powerful drawing hand in poker that has multiple ways to improve on future streets. For example, a hand that includes both a straight draw and a flush draw. This gives the player a higher chance of making a strong hand by the river.
Come over the top
In poker, come over the top is a term used to describe a player’s action of making a significant raise or re-raise over an opponent’s bet or raise. This aggressive move is often employed to apply pressure, gain control of the pot, or force opponents to fold weaker hands.
Complete
In Texas Hold’em, completing the bet refers to a player opting to call rather than raise when they have the opportunity to do so, typically in a situation where blinds are involved. It often involves calling the big blind instead of raising, showing a more cautious or strategic approach to the hand.
Community cards
Cards placed face-up on the table that are shared by all players to make their hands in games like Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
Condensed
A capped range that is also tight. This range does not contain the strongest hands, but is lean and contains many medium-strength hands. Also known as depolarized.
Connector
Sequential hole cards that have the potential to make a straight, such as 4-5 or 9-10.
Continuation bet
A bet on the flop by the player who raised pre-flop, continuing the aggression.
Cooler
In Texas Hold’em, a cooler is a situation where two or more players have very strong hands, resulting in a large pot. It typically leads to one player losing to another due to the natural strength of both hands, rather than any mistake in play.
Counterfeit
Occurs when the board pairs or mirrors your cards, reducing their value. For example, holding 8-7 with a flop of 9-T-J gives a straight; a turn card of 8 counterfeits it by mirroring. Another example is holding 6-7 with a turn of A-6-7-9; a river 9 gives opponents with an ace a better two-pair.
Covered
In poker, covered typically refers to a situation where one player’s stack size is equal to or larger than another player’s stack size. For example, if Player A has more chips than Player B, Player A is said to have Player B covered. Having an opponent covered can give a player an advantage in certain situations, such as putting pressure on them with aggressive betting.
Cowboys
Slang for a pair of kings.
Cracked
A term used when a strong hand, usually a pocket pair of aces or kings, is beaten.
Crying call
A reluctant call, usually made expecting to lose, but feeling obligated to make it due to pot odds.
Cutoff
The position to the right of the dealer or button, second-best position at the table.